There are villains in every business sector, but this is particularly disconcerting in organizations that claim to be all about doing good. When I was on the board of directors at a Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) almost 20 years ago, there seemed to be a disproportionate number of womanizers and power-obsessed ladder-climbing politicos within the organization. These vocal and visible personalities overshadowed the important work of a majority of committed individuals, and the supererogatory efforts of some rare superstars. Such type-A activists leave a bad taste about the moral genuineness of purportedly ethical institutions.

Recently, when running a familiar route with a friend, I marveled at her ability to navigate a complicated shortcut that I had never noticed before. I asked her how she had discovered it, and she responded: "Easy. I studied a map long enough until I saw where two roads connected. It was there all along, in plain sight."

As a 21st Century business, the odds are very good that you are, or have considered being, "green." While going green was largely considered nothing more than a trend when it first entered the business scene, studies have shown that being more eco-friendly can have numerous positive effects on any type of business, from economic factors to consumer-related ones.

It's funny what you end up talking about at Hallowe'en parties. A friend dressed as Sasquatch sidled over to me, drink in hand, and let out a pathetic sigh - his shoulders slouched. He looked beat; I wasn't sure if he was playing the part of the dejected man beast, or if he was truly exhausted. It was the latter. Apparently, he'd been losing a lot of sleep because of a late-night rhythmic banging he'd hear through his condo walls at all hours of night. I wasn't sure where this was going.